"I want this to be a place where a guy can bring his wife and kids and not be offended," he said. "We really want to change from a billiard-hall idea to a family-oriented sports bar and grill with pool tables. ... I listen to my customers, and this is something they've wanted for a long time."

So, with a full kitchen in the back, he opted for another goal: "We're going to try to wow Ocala with our food."

Lofty sentiment, indeed.

To that end, he brought in Jason Luke to oversee his kitchen as general manager.

"People have the idea that a pool hall is dingy, loud and obnoxious," Luke says. "It's such a nice place here, we're probably the only smoke-free pool hall."

He says the idea is to produce a line of gourmet burgers featuring a mix of ground chuck, short rib and brisket.

"We're not skimping on any of our burgers or meats," he adds.

And steaks, Kohn adds. Don't forget the steaks.

"We'll put up our steak against any other steak in town," he boasts.

The steak issue aside, I admit I've been on something of a quest lately to find burgers of distinction hereabouts, and I'm not letting anything but my debit card stand in my way.

This sounded like a challenge, particularly when I noticed the "Inferno Burger" on the menu. Its description: "half-pound burger lightly breaded and deep fried, smothered in Buffalo sauce, blue cheese crumbles, topped with chopped celery and ranch."

"We're trying to put together ingredients you'd never consider going into a burger," Luke says.

So I dropped in at dinnertime recently to give it a try.

Mindful this is within a week of Kohn, Luke and company first cranking up the kitchen, I don't mind saying the burger comes pretty darn close to Kohn's self-set "wow" standard. I tried the sliders option, allowing me to pick three mini versions of the choices available.

All were quite good, actually: lightly blackened, juicy and quite flavorful for something that only takes a few bites to finish.

In my experience it's probably a bold step for a pool hall to put such an emphasis on victuals. With the food move, Kohn says, "we are ecstatic to get to offer this side of town what we offer."

■ ■ ■

Feta up with waiting: The new Feta Mediterranean Cuisine quietly opened last week in the old Moses Building at 306 SW Broadway St. This is the building where Kelley Welsh first opened her Primary Oven years back just a few steps from Pine Avenue.

I haven't had the fortune to visit yet, but according to Feta's Facebook profile the eatery offers "original dishes inspired by the Mediterranean region." It's open daily for lunch and dinner.

<p>In those rare instances when pool ignites a few neurons, I tend to think of Harold Hill.</p><p>You know, he's the traveling con man in "The Music Man" who rouses an Iowa rabble with "Trouble — with a capital 'T' and that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for pool!"</p><p>You see, I don't typically think of a pool hall as a place to find a burger.</p><p>Until now.</p><p>With its recent move from Jacksonville Road to the Kmart Plaza on East Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala's Bankshot Billiards added a food element.</p><p>To be sure, pool is still king here with 17 tournament-quality tables. And there are enough high def TVs around — including a handful of mammoth projector types — to outfit a small Best Buy.</p><p>Owner Mike Kohn says he's hoping to project a more family-friendly image.</p><p>"I want this to be a place where a guy can bring his wife and kids and not be offended," he said. "We really want to change from a billiard-hall idea to a family-oriented sports bar and grill with pool tables. ... I listen to my customers, and this is something they've wanted for a long time."</p><p>So, with a full kitchen in the back, he opted for another goal: "We're going to try to wow Ocala with our food."</p><p>Lofty sentiment, indeed.</p><p>To that end, he brought in Jason Luke to oversee his kitchen as general manager.</p><p>"People have the idea that a pool hall is dingy, loud and obnoxious," Luke says. "It's such a nice place here, we're probably the only smoke-free pool hall."</p><p>He says the idea is to produce a line of gourmet burgers featuring a mix of ground chuck, short rib and brisket.</p><p>"We're not skimping on any of our burgers or meats," he adds.</p><p>And steaks, Kohn adds. Don't forget the steaks.</p><p>"We'll put up our steak against any other steak in town," he boasts.</p><p>The steak issue aside, I admit I've been on something of a quest lately to find burgers of distinction hereabouts, and I'm not letting anything but my debit card stand in my way.</p><p>This sounded like a challenge, particularly when I noticed the "Inferno Burger" on the menu. Its description: "half-pound burger lightly breaded and deep fried, smothered in Buffalo sauce, blue cheese crumbles, topped with chopped celery and ranch."</p><p>"We're trying to put together ingredients you'd never consider going into a burger," Luke says.</p><p>So I dropped in at dinnertime recently to give it a try.</p><p>Mindful this is within a week of Kohn, Luke and company first cranking up the kitchen, I don't mind saying the burger comes pretty darn close to Kohn's self-set "wow" standard. I tried the sliders option, allowing me to pick three mini versions of the choices available.</p><p>All were quite good, actually: lightly blackened, juicy and quite flavorful for something that only takes a few bites to finish.</p><p>In my experience it's probably a bold step for a pool hall to put such an emphasis on victuals. With the food move, Kohn says, "we are ecstatic to get to offer this side of town what we offer."</p><p><center>■ ■ ■</center></p><p>Feta up with waiting: The new Feta Mediterranean Cuisine quietly opened last week in the old Moses Building at 306 SW Broadway St. This is the building where Kelley Welsh first opened her Primary Oven years back just a few steps from Pine Avenue.</p><p>I haven't had the fortune to visit yet, but according to Feta's Facebook profile the eatery offers "original dishes inspired by the Mediterranean region." It's open daily for lunch and dinner.</p><p>Stay tuned for more details.</p><p><i>Contact Rick Allen at rick.allen@starbanner.com.</i></p>